Detachable shoe heel



Nov. 18,' 1924. 1,515,355

S. SWETZOFF DETACHABLE SHOE HEEL Filed May 9l 1923 J6 a Je ze Z6Patented Nov. I8, 1924,

UNITED STATES SOLOMON SWETZOFF, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

DETACHABLE SHOE HEEL.

Application led May 9,

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, SoLoMoN Swnrzorr, a citizen of Russia, and residentof Boston, in the county of CSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in Detachable Shoe Heels, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention is an impro-vement in the art of manufacturingboots and shoes and particularly with regard to the heel formation andattachment, together with a novel construction of heel and heelattaching means. i

In the manufacture of boots and shoes it is of great importance tosecure a firm, solid and strong heel seat in the shoe, and my presentinvention contemplates the utilization of a metal plate which willsolidify, strengthen and reinforce the heel seat of a shoe, either weltshoe, McKay shoe or turn shoe construction, and which plate will alsoconstitute a cooperative holding and attaching device for a heel.Preferably also I make the heel so that it can be readily attachable anddetachable, and therefore interchangeable. My invention is of particularimportance with ladies shoes wherein rela-- tively high heels, andpreferably wooden heels, are employed, such as the well-known type ofIiouis heel, half-Louis heel, or the like.

The invention is equally applicable, however, to other heelconstructions, particularly leather heel layers, although hereinillustrated and preferably applied to a high wooden heel, as it haslbeen and is extremely difficult to secure a Louis heel by nailing in theusual boot and shoe methods of heel attaching.

By my present method I employ automatic cooperating attaching means andpreferably at a substantial spaced position, as at the eXtreme front andextreme rear of the heel. Thus interlocked the heel may then bepermanently and rigidly secured in place by a member, such as a threadedscrew which will prevent displacement of the heel and heel seatinterlocking means and hold the same tightly in position. This featureis of great importance and a great improvement over prior detachable orpermanent wood heel attaching devices, consisting in a 1923. Serial No.637,850.

plurality of relatively long screws, separate nails or the like.

Furthermore a distinct novelty in my present inventionl with regard toattachability and detachability of the heel consists in the fact that Iutilize fixed cooperating interlocking devices to hold the heel, asdistinguished from one or more screws, which latter have heretofore beenused, both to hold the heel in position, and to take up to-rsionalstrains. My interlocking devices take up the strain of the heelattachment, while the retaining screw merely prevents displacement andalso holds the cooperating heel attaching means in close engagement.

Referring to the drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of theinvention,

Fig. l is a fragmentary view of a shoe made according to my inventionwith reinforced heel seat and heel attaching means;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view;

Fig. 3 is a view partly in cross-section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. et is a bottom view of the reinforced heel seat with heel attachingplate; and

Fig. 5 is a top view of the heel with a cooperating attaching heel platemember.

As shown 'in the drawings, my invention may be embodied in any type ofshoe construction, either welt, lsIcIIay or turn shoes, and is of equalimportance and usefulness in these several lines of manufacture. Theshoe as herein illustrated is of turn shoe construction wherein theupper l is attached to the sole 2 by stitching 3 in the usual turn shoemethod. A heel and shank piece fr may be also applied. In the drawings Ihave shown a full Iiouis type. of heel 5, to which is secured the usualtopliiitI 6. This heel is here shown as formed of wood and of a typicalexterior contour and style, which illustrates a heel of extremelydifficult type to attach to a shoe, particularly as light a shoeconstruction as a turn shoe, by any heel attaching, nailing or othermethods heretofore employed.

In carrying out my invention, I first recess the heel part of theI sole2 slightly to form a shoulder 10 against which the forward edge 12 ofthe heel 5 may abut to give a flush joint. Within the recessed heelportion thus formed I aii'x to the shoe a heel plate 15 which willreinforce and strengthen the entire heel seat, and on which cooperatingheel attaching devices are supplied. This heel plate is preferablyformed with a plurality of prongs 16, 16, which prongs may be stampedout of the metal and will serve to hold the plate firmly in position asit is applied to and driven rmly onto the sole. Then a. plurality oftacks 17, 17, driven through holes or recesses in the plate will stillfurther hold the same firmly onto the sole and heel of the shoe. lfdesired spaces 18 can be cut from the heel plate to lighten the saine,and a` centra-l recess 2O is formed to receive the rctaining screw 21.At the rear of the plate a catch or lug 22 is stamped from the plate andturned and curved rearwardly to constitute one of the cooperating heelattaching members. The forward edge 24 of this plate 15 is formedperpendicularly and preferably squarely across to present a substantialabutment for the correspondingly formed portion 26 of the heel 5, thisalone constituting a heel retaining means, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The heel 5 of wood or other suitable inaterial, is formed,-as aboveexplained,- with the portions or shoulders 12 and 26 to abutrespective-ly against` the surfaces 10 in the soie 2 and the edge 24 ofthe plate l5. The central portion of the heel is slightly recessed orcountersunk as shown at 27, to receive a plate 28. This plate ispreferably formed with an integral socket or hub 29, which is internallythreaded to receive the correspondingly threaded retaining screw 2l.This hub is fitted in a recess 32 bored or otherwise formed in the heel.At the rear of the heel plate 28 is also formed a recess 33 in the heel,so as to permit the catch 22 to engage freely with the rearmost portionof the heel plate 28 through a square opening 35. This heel plate issecured to the heel by a plurality of screws, nails or the like 36 andis firmly positioned therein. As thus described the shoe being made inany of the usual manners as above noted, is fitted with the reinforcingand'heel retaining plate l5. rlhis process is readily applicable Vto anyshoe, either before the sole is lasted to the upper or after. The heelsare then made and fitted with cooperating heel plate. rEhe operation ofattaching the heel consistssimply in fitting the rear heel plate opening35 over the catch 22, positioning the heel forwardly until the shoulders26 and 12 abut respectively against the edges 24 and 10. These twointerlocking and spacing devices spaced at the forward parts of the heeland extending clear across the same give as great a leverage as is pos`sible to hold the heel against displacement or torsional strain.Thereupon the retaining screw 21 is fitted, holding, clamping, andsecuring the shoe and heel firmly together.

llVhile l have necessarily described In' invention somewhat in detail,it will be appreciated that l may vary the size, shape and style of thevarious elements within wide ranges without departing from the spirit`of the invention.

My invention is further defined and described inthe forin of a claim asfollows:

A detachable attaching means comprising a plate adapted to he secured tothe heel seat of a shoe exterior of the outsole, said plate beingprovided with a perforation adjacent the forward end thereof, meansformed integral with said plate for attaching the same to the heel seat,a depending hook extending downwardly from said heel seat and having theopen end of the hook portion extending toward the rear of the shoe, acooperating` plate secured to the upper face of the heel. said platebeing pro vided with a cut out portion adapted to register and engagewith the hook-shaped member on the metallic plate, screw engaging meansformed integral with the heel plate and having the main portion thereofextending downwardly into the heel structure, and a screw passingthrough the forwardly located perforation in the metallic plate and intothe screw engaging means whereby the heel is maintained in position onthe heel seat and ln with the shoe structure.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my naine to this specification.

SOLOMON SWETZOFF.

proper alinement

